First look at the next version of Weave and details on how you can join the beta

Here's our first look at the next version of Weave for Windows Phone 8 users, along with details on how you can join the open beta.

Weave recently made the jump to your Surface and Windows 8. It’s one of our favorite news readers on Windows Phone, so we were very happy to see it on our tablets, laptops, and desktops. Don’t worry though, Weave on Windows Phone is still getting lots of support and new features. Here’s your first look at the latest version of Weave and details on how you can join the beta. Bonus, if you join the beta you’re going to get a little treat from the developer. Read on for all the details.

Weave for Windows Phone hasn’t seen a big update for quite some time. It hit version 4.0 late last year and picked up a few small updates in early 2013. Version 4.0 was notable for a new design, faster performance, Instapaper support, and much more.

Check the ratings for both the free and paid version of Weave in the Windows Phone Store and you’ll see users praising both apps highly. Huge download numbers and high ratings exist for both apps, so what could Seles games, the developer, do to improve Weave for Windows Phone? Here’s all that’s new with the latest version of Weave:

New Cloud API

Weave for WP8 now uses the "Weave News Reader cloud API" - a set of web services similar to Google Reader/Feedly/Newsblur

The cloud services are powered by Windows Azure, and save a user's feeds, categories, article state, and favorite articles "in the cloud" and synced across any number of devices

Users can login via Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, or Google accounts

Sync your account and have your news available on Weave for Windows 8

Visual Changes

New streamlined Panoramic homescreen layout.

New article list layout: "Cards". Brings a beautiful new way to browse the news. All the old layouts are still available as well!

"All sources" list. Now you can see how many new articles are available for each category/feed you subscribe to.

The biggest change to Weave for Windows Phone is the addition of the Weave News Reader Cloud API. These web services make Weave act like other popular services like the Feedly, Newsblur, and the now defunct Google Reader. We’re big fans of Phonly for Windows Phone, but since it’s a Feedly app it requires a Google account – something a lot of you aren’t fans of having. This makes Weave the app for you if you’re happy living in a Microsoft only ecosystem.

Syncing between Weave for Windows 8 (left) and Windows Phone (right)

Weave will now sync and save your feeds, categories, article state, and favorite articles in the Weave Cloud across a variety of devices. This is helpful if you’ve got multiple Windows Phone devices. But more importantly, this allows you to finally sync Weave on both your phone and Windows 8. You can sing up and sync Weave with your Microsoft, Facebook, Google or Twitter accounts. Again, the choice is yours.

First impressions of the syncing between Weave for Windows Phone and Windows 8? It freaking rocks. We added a category on Windows Phone and simply refreshed the app on Windows 8. The category, along with the feeds for that category, instantly appear on our Surface. Favorites, article state, and more all sync as well. Not only is syncing working with aplomb, but the apps performance is solid for being in beta.

We’re also digging some of the new design changes to Weave on Windows Phone. Tell us what you think of the redesign and performance after you get into the beta. Speaking of which, how do you join?

Join the beta for Weave and get a bonus prize for participating

You want to join the beta of Weave. Trust us. By joining and helping out Seles Games find any bugs you’re getting a sweet prize. Not only do you get to be one of the first to try out the new Weave on Windows Phone, but anyone who participates will get an ad-free copy of the release version of Weave after the beat. Winning.

Here’s what you need to do to join the open beta of Weave for Windows Phone.

Have a developer-unlocked phone and be able to deploy a XAP file to it (Windows Phone 8 devices only)

Send Seles Games your Trello.com username so they can add you to the Trello beta board. Either email them at info@selesgames.com with "Weave WP8 beta" in the subject line, or tweet them at @SelesGames.

Boom. That’s it. Trello is a pretty cool service that I’ve seen a few developers use for betas. It’s a project management application that is really good at giving developers an easy avenue of feedback, bug logging, etc for betas like this. Don’t have an account? Just create one and follow the rest of the instructions above.

Love Weave, such a great app and one of my most used. Can't wait to see the new version, keep up the good work! :)

One thing I've noticed the past couple of weeks though is that when I try and read articles from WPCentral I get the message "unable to mobilize the article" so I've got to go to the website instead. Dunno if that's the app or the site that's causing the issue though, anyone else got that?

After you created your Trello account and submitted to to selesgames. They will send you an email cofirming or you will get one from Trello. Log into the Trellow site and you will see the WP8 beta, just click on it and read the directions, it's not very hard.

Funlly, a lot of people who do beta tests lilke this use the store to allow betas, this is a different approach for a beta, only have seen this type of thing when it's a really small dev(one person dev team)...

Cool anyway about it, been waiting for a update on Weave...this is a big deal for me, I use this app every day...

Thanks for your explanation. I have got a mail from trello asking for verfying the mai-id. Which I did. logging into Trello didn't help much. Is there any other mail I have to wait for.
But I don't think I will be able to use this. Though I am on GDR3, at present I dont have Windows 8 system.

I don't keep up with what's going on for a few days and a new Weave beta pops up. Anyway, one of my fav. apps, so if you need another tester, Trello: mgkeath
Sent a request by email too, but that was before I read these comments.

Well this sucks, i don't have a 64-bit Windows 8 PC so i can't unlock my phone. (Windows 8.1 32-bit :'( ) Well, i will just wait until the final.
But NextGen Reader works perfect for the moment. It's a difficult choice between those two.

Weave is a good rss feed reader and I use it daily on both my surface pro and windows phone 7.8 device. I like the current use and layout of the 7.8 design. The only thing that bothers me is that now every rss source has a complete rich feed as what wpcentral does. This saves me a lot of short reeds and then having to read more via the website link delaying the reading experience.
I like the initial design of the weave app in windows 8 where they take the dark elements and intial newspaper style reading as the native windows 8 app. But I think weave does itself short by following this line. Why? because there making an inefficient use of the screen realestate on windows 8. The differences between windows phone and windows 8 are very clear on that matter.The current menubar on the left hand screen to me is an obolete feature in the whole experience. I think weave can do better and actually make ik it a more newspaper like design, like you're reading a real newspaper. The current layout is too organized, too sterile and it works a bit couterintuitive on a mobile tablet (pc) device. The left column needs to disappear in the app bar or charms menu and I would advice using the whole screen canvas to show the feeds it diefferent size formats blocks. Let me filter the data on the screen by using the app bar. I don't need the menu on the left and I think other users will like that design experience as well, to just be able to glance the news on the screen and select on sight. I don't want a preorganized menu on the left.
Ik think the upcoming beta is a step in the good direction, improving the back end. But the front end still needs a lot more work to make it a more functional experience.

Nope. You may be think of the gdr3 preview. That will temporarily void your warranty. Also you can register for the app studio program for free. That will give you the ability to dev unlock your phone.

Love weave news reader; I use it as my primary news source (used to be google news). Very glad they are including cloud syncing as I've lost favorited articled in the past. Question: I just downloaded GDR3 by having an app studio account; does that mean I qualify for the weave beta? :)

We are definitely working with the team at WPCentral to get this resolved. It's actually an issue with Readability's service being unable to mobilize the articles, still trying to figure out why / workarounds.

Btw, completely off topic, but a couple of days ago several articles stating delisted games among which as far as I remember was Assassins Creed. I was browsing the games just now and found it for .79p. Whining is more exciting but I thought you ought to know.

Thank you Sam for the writeup!
If you would like to join the beta, you can post your Trello username in the comments section as a 3rd choice. We will keep checking over the next couple days.
Thank you to everyone emailing us so far, we are happy to have you as part of this beta!
- Seles Games

Have always loved this app. It was my first paid app back on my Samsung Focus. I've participated in their betas before and have been rocking the latest beta since this morning. Already found/reported a couple of bugs but nothing to keep me from continuing to use it as my primary news app. They've always been responsive to user feedback.

It certainly would be easier. But by using Trello they're hopefully guaranteeing more feedback vs. people just wanting an app early. Trello makes it super easy for them to manage comments, bug fixes, improvements, ideas, etc. Enjoy either way :)

Honestly, didn't know they had a Windows 8 client till now! I'm gonna be getting it next time I boot into Windows 8.
I'm between OS X and Windows 8 so much I don't have too many metro apps (though I hope to change that soon with a Surface)

I'm using it on Windows 8 RT tablet and really like it. Two issues:
1. Could not figure out though how favorites work (how can you populate?).
2. Second in portrait mode on Surface tablet the article sides are cut off.
Other than that great reader.